Water is easy to take for granted. Unfortunately, 53% of Haiti’s rural population does not have access to an improved water source such as a covered well, and we’re working every day to address that problem.
In Haiti, many mothers fear for their children’s safety as they send them out for water. The best source of water may be a mile away, at the bottom of a ravine. Even when the children come back safely, mothers still fear drinking the water, which is most likely contaminated.
Besides the obvious benefits of improved health and physical safety, there are many secondary benefits to clean water. A study from the National Institutes of Health showed that access to clean water can significantly reduce school absenteeism – by as much as 26%. There are also documented increases in school enrollment when parents don’t have to use their children to trek long distances to collect water.
In rural Haiti, good water is often as deep as 300 feet below the surface – this means a well can easily cost $10,000. We have drilled and maintain over 20 community wells in safe, public spaces – most often on church property. When people come to collect water, they will listen to songs of praise ringing out from the church. The wells we provide supply more than clean water to the communities, they point the way to living water.
“There are more than 50 families living in this small village. When we get water, four families come together to buy 20 gallons of water for 200 Gourdes ($2 U.S.). All of the children in this area can’t bathe easily. When we need to wash our clothes, we walk more than 2 hours to reach a small river. Now, God has given us this well – we have drunk the well water, it’s clean, it tastes good. Our children get this water to drink; the water does not make them sick. It’s as if Jesus descended to earth to give us this well. May God bless all who gave money for this well!”
Silius
“Before we had this well, in rainy season, the horses made tracks in the muddy soil, the rainy water sat there, and people went to get this water and drank it. During the dry season, we left our homes every night at 10 o’clock to go find water far away and returned at 2 o’clock. We didn’t have time to sleep. Now, God gave us this gift of a well so we can sleep and so we don’t lose our hair from carrying buckets of water on our heads. Thank you very much for this water! May God bless you.”
Silvia
In addition to wells, we have also installed rainwater collection systems and purification systems where needed.
There is always a need for more clean water projects, the only thing lacking is the funding to make them a reality. If you would like to fund a well please contact info@gvcm.org
Check out our interactive map of clean water projects.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.'” John 4:13-14